SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — Federal relief funds during the Covid-19 pandemic provided a crucial lifeline to California’s community colleges, helping some students weather the health crisis without dropping out, researchers say in a new report.
In a report released Thursday, the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit think tank, found that more than $4 billion in federal funds crucially boosted resources for California’s 71 community colleges during the pandemic.
Without continued emergency funding, researchers said there is still room for schools to improve, including by lowering college costs for low-income students, ensuring every student has access to the internet, maintaining emergency-aid systems and eliminating fines.
“During the pandemic, the state maintained community college funding levels at pre-pandemic amounts regardless of enrollment,” the researchers stated in their report. They warned that if "the standard community college funding formula is reimplemented, many colleges could see rapid declines in state funding. This of course would jeopardize some of the programs that colleges found to be successful at retaining and growing enrollments.”
Community colleges help power the Golden State's economy, the report states, offering low-income Californians access to job skills and education.
During the pandemic, enrollment declined 15% at community colleges, with a particularly sharp decline for Black, Latino and low-income students. In addition, the community college system lost nearly 300,000 enrolled students between fall 2019 and fall 2021.
About 46% of students also reduced their course load during the pandemic, citing mental stress and the need to care for family. Other barriers included access to work spaces, high-speed internet and course materials. In 2023, nearly two-thirds of students experienced housing and food insecurity or increased medical costs.
The federal government passed three pandemic relief bills between March 2020 and March 2021, allocating $77 billion in emergency funding to higher education institutions across the U.S.
California received the largest share, at $10.1 billion. By January 2023, the state’s community colleges had received about $4.4 billion in total funding, with nearly $1.8 billion directed towards cash support for students.
Community colleges in California found strategic ways to use this money, the researchers found. Institutions invested in improving resources for online classes, forgiving some debts and fines and providing free books, laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots.
Around 93% of the funding went to improving campus safety and technology hardware — by far the biggest expenditure. Second on the list was money spent purchasing equipment and supplies and covering lost revenue.
Rather than giving all students the same awards, many colleges decided to equitably distribute emergency aid to students based on need, the researchers noted approvingly. The funds helped support Pell Grants, financial aid and costs for Black and Latino students, the researchers found, while about one-in-three colleges also used funds to support campus-based food pantries or child care resources.
Without emergency pandemic funds, continuing to maintain such support could be a challenge, researchers warned. California lawmakers are negotiating a budget to address a multi-year $38 billion budget deficit.
Data from the National Student Clearinghouse suggest that community college enrollment grew in 2024. Nonetheless, colleges surveyed for the report told researchers they’re concerned about widening income and racial gaps, as well as cuts to instructional programs.
According to the report, some colleges found success by using funds to increase enrollment after emergency shutdowns. One college said that after offering direct financial aid, counseling assistance, funding for technology grants and $300 book vouchers, it managed to persuade 382 students to reenroll out of 1,820 that had dropped out.
“An emergency grant can make the difference between staying enrolled and dropping out," the researchers stated. "Low-income students can often be derailed by not having sufficient money for gas, car maintenance, housing, electricity, water, and other basic needs."
Institute researcher Daniel Payares-Montoya said that the state is largely responsible for funding all community colleges, but with tough financial times ahead, those colleges may need to focus on other strategies such as generous contributions from college foundations.
"The most surprising thing was that they (colleges) were able to disperse money very fast to students who needed it the most," he said. "There was no plan, and they just knew that something had to be done."
Going forward, the researchers recommended that California learn from its successes during the pandemic and continue to invest in support systems like campus food pantries, housing assistance and subsidized childcare. Furthermore, they said, many colleges saw great results from canceling students’ debts, such as those from overdue book fees.
The researchers said the state can also focus funds on building colleges' ability to maintain current emergency aid for students facing housing and food insecurity — though without more federal funding, doing so could be a challenge. The California's Legislative Analyst's Office, a nonpartisan agency that gives the Legislature fiscal and policy advice, earlier this year cautioned Governor Gavin Newsom about using $226 million for higher education, nearly all of which is for community colleges. In February, it also knocked Newsom's plan to allow schools and community colleges to keep $8 billion in cash disbursements.
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